Trump pays writer E Jean Carroll $5m in damages over sexual abuse and defamation
Image: BBC News
US President Donald Trump has paid writer E Jean Carroll $5m (£3.9m) in damages after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, bringing to a close a long-running legal battle that has spanned multiple trials and appeals.
The president had sought to delay the payment as he tried to persuade the Supreme Court to overturn the judgement. His legal team argued that the verdict should be set aside, but the high court declined to take up the case, leaving the lower-court ruling intact and clearing the way for the payout to be processed.
Carroll, a former magazine columnist, first accused Trump of assaulting her in a New York department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. She later sued him for defamation after he publicly denied her account, and a separate jury awarded her additional damages in a follow-up trial.
The $5m sum relates to the initial verdict, which found Trump liable on claims of sexual abuse and defamation but cleared him of the more serious charge of rape. Legal analysts say the payment marks a significant moment, though it is unlikely to be the final word in the broader set of cases involving the president.
Trump has consistently denied Carroll's allegations and has criticised the proceedings as politically motivated. His spokespeople reiterated that position even as the payment was finalised, signalling that further appeals in related matters remain possible.
The resolution of the case removes one of the most prominent legal liabilities facing Trump personally, even as other civil and criminal matters continue to move through the courts. For Carroll, the payout represents vindication after years of public dispute over her claims.